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News: Timber Frame, Construction & Property News
Timber Frame Has The Edge
(11 January 2006, The Green Building Press)
2006 will be "the year of timber frame", according to the UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA). While the cost of bricks and blocks used in most new home construction will continue to rise disproportionately due to skyrocketing gas prices, the introduction of tough new building regulations expected in April will also encourage more housebuilders and housing associations to try timber frame construction – and the tangible business benefits of this way of building will keep the construction industry coming back for more, says the trade body.
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Timber Frame Homes set to Boom
(10 January 2006, Green Consumer Guide.com)
A National Audit Office (NAO) report published in late-2005 confirmed that timber frame construction costs less than traditional brick and block construction, requires less on site labour days and offers efficiency benefits.
Changes to fire safety legislation
(09 January 2006, TRADA news)
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 05 (RRFSO) is due to come into effect on 1 April 2006. It will greatly change the current fire safety philosophy for England and Wales.
ODPM consultation on a Code for Sustainable Homes
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has published its 'Proposals for introducing a Code for Sustainable Homes'. The document can now be viewed.
Revisions to Building Regulations Announced
(06 January 2006, Association of Environment-Conscious Builders)
The Government announced that the new measures, taken together with the 2002 Building Regulations will improve standards in new buildings by 40%. Savings across new build and existing buildings will total one million tonnes of carbon per year. Interim versions of Approved Documents for Part L (energy efficiency) and Part F (ventilation) and other supporting material have been published in preparation for the changes to the Building Regulations.
Business - Finance - Environment - Community - Benfield ATT News
News: Environment, Climate & Attitudes
Polluters Summit: 'Industry will Solve Problem of Global Warming'
(12 January 2006, The Independent p2)
Rupert Cornwell writes that the US, China, India, Australia, Japan and South Korea opened a "counter-Kyoto" conference by declaring that technologies voluntarily adopted by coal, gas and energy companies could solve the problem of climate change. US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said that "the people who run these companies - they do have grandchildren; they do live and breathe in the world." His assertions were challenged by environmental groups which called for the six Asia-Pacific partners to re-direct resources away from the fossil fuel sector to renewable and non-polluting sources such as wind, solar and geothermal energy.
U.S. Could do Better on Green Issues, OECD Concludes
(11 January 2006, The Independent p10)
Fiona Harvey writes that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development yesterday called on the US to use energy more efficiently to safeguard its prosperity and prevent harm associated with climate change. The OECD's environmental "report card" criticised the US federal government for its high water use and persistent surface water quality problems, although it praised "initiatives by states, municipalities and corporations to address climate change concerns."
Hard to Swallow
(04 January 2006, SocietyGuardian, p9)
Jonathon Porritt writes that researchers at the University of Chicago have found that the relative carbon intensity of a standard US-style carnivorous diet in comparison with a vegan diet is greater than that of a standard gas-guzzling car in comparison with an eco-friendly model. As global meat demand is expected to grow from 209m tonnes (1997) to 327m tonnes (2020), Porritt calls for government policies that promote local sourcing, reduce carbon intensity in food production, distribution and procurement, and development of agri-environment measures.
Companies Spending £1bn a Year on Wasted Energy
(03 January 2006, The Independent p10)
Sarah Cassidy writes that the Carbon Trust, a government-funded environmental group, said that £1bn of the £6bn spent by UK businesses on energy is wasted because of a failure to cut carbon emissions. Carbon Trust spokesperson Hugh Jones said that "long-term energy bill savings of up to 30% can be achieved in most sectors" by undertaking simple measures such as lowering office temperature by one degree centigrade and turning off unnecessary office lights. Businesses are responsible for half of all carbon emissions and the 2003 energy White Paper aims to cut UK carbon emissions by 60% by 2050.
News: Society, Community & Responsible Business
Coke Struggles to Defend Positive Reputation
(06 January 2006, Financial Times p21)
Andrew Ward writes that this week the University of Michigan became the 10th US college to ban Coca-Cola products from its premises amid allegations of company responsibility for labour abuses in Colombia and environmental damage in India. Anti-Coke campaigns have spread across more than 100 university campuses in the US, Canada and Europe, with UK activists pushing for a nationwide student boycott. The biggest threat to the world's most valuable brand is seen as growing consumer concern about the role sugary drinks play in the obesity epidemic spreading across the developed world.
The Wisdom of Promoting Diversity
(06 January 2006, Financial Times p14)
The FT leader calls on companies to be more imaginative in recruiting board directors rather than opting for "costly legislation," as advocated by the Equal Opportunities Commission in light of the finding that only 10.5% of directors are women. Recent FT-commissioned research has found a "shocking lack of diversity in the boardroom," with the typical executive director being a 58-year-old male with a finance background. A study of large US companies found that boards with women directors were better than all-male boards at influencing management as well as recruiting and retaining women employees.
Norway Sold 'Nuclear' BAE Strike
(06 January 2006, The Guardian p27)
David Gow writes that the Norwegian government pension fund, one of the world's largest (£110bn), announced yesterday that it had sold its stocks in BAE and six other global arms manufacturers because of their alleged involvement in producing nuclear weapons. BAE declined to comment on the decision, which the fund's ethics council said was a consequence of BAE's 37.5% stake in European missile-maker MBDA.
"Painfully Slow" Progress Means Women Could Take 200 years to win Political Equality
(05 January 2006, The Guardian p4)
John Carvel writes that the Equal Opportunities Commission's annual Sex and Power report, published thirty years after the advent of the Sex Discrimination Act, has found that at current rates of progress, women could take 200 years to achieve equality with men in parliament, 20 years in the civil service and 40 years in the ranks of FTSE 100 directors. The commission called for more high-quality, high-paid flexible and part-time work at all levels, a legal requirement for private sector employers to promote gender equality and eliminate sex discrimination as well as conduct diagnostic "equality checks" to identify pay gaps and take appropriate action.
New-Look Tories Show they Mean Business
(05 January 2006, Financial Times p2)
Christopher Adams and Jean Eaglesham write that senior Conservatives are calling on companies to shoulder more social responsibility in areas such as the environment, transport and waste disposal. Following newspaper ads in which Tory leader David Cameron stated his intention to "stand up to big business when it's in the interests of Britain and the world," shadow trade and industry spokesman Alan Duncan told the FT that "we think big business is a vehicle for wealth creation, but which also has responsibilities and duties." He added that a review of business policy would examine how companies could be more socially responsible.
Watchdogs Told to Clean-up Their Act on Regulation
(04 January 2006, Financial Times p3)
Jean Eaglesham writes that Richard Macrory, new chair of the government-commissioned review of regulatory sanctions, intends to toughen up penalties for the worst offenders but also introduce a range of administrative sanctions to allow regulators to bypass the courts in imposing fines and other penalties. While the CBI has expressed concerns that imposition of instant fines on business could "circumvent justice and accountability," Prof. Macrory insists his review will be "a much more sophisticated exercise than simply saying 'we're going to give regulators even more powers to bash industry".
CSR: Power to the Plantation Plucker
(03 January 2006, The Financial Times p13)
Khozem Merchant charts the rise of Kanan Devan Hills Plantation, a south Indian tea plantation company created by an employee buyout of the business from Tata Tea. The sale by Tata of the loss-making enterprise to its employees, along with changes to its business structure, has reversed a four-year loss record, with KDHP shifting into profit in the nine months to December and productivity increasing 34% since April. Legal changes to allow product diversification, worker involvement in management, recruitment of business development managers and a new growth strategy are all cited as contributing to the new company's success.
News: Finance & Economy
Confidence Grows Among Top Firms
(05 January 2006, BBC News)
Confidence among many businesses in some of the world's leading economies has risen unexpectedly, according to several economic reports. Surveys of service providers across the eurozone and the UK, including hotels and travel firms, point to hopes for stronger jobs growth in 2006.
Feature Article of the Month - Builder & Engineer Magazine; Timber Frame Supplement
Seasonal, 2005
Expert Viewpoint: Dr Michael Benfield
Dr Michael Benfield is one of the leading Timber Frame Construction Experts. He spoke to Builder & Engineer about how the Construction of more Timber-based buildings will help meet the ambitious carbon emission targets set by the Government...
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